Bad sanitation holds back development in Africa

This map signals the progress of 12 African countries in laying the foundations to tackle the sanitation crisis: green for good progress, yellow for some progress and red for bad progress. View details of the map by downloading the full report   ( PDF 250kb).

Credit: WaterAid

18 February 2008

WaterAid is launching its new report, Giving sanitation the green light, as representatives from African governments, the private sector, NGOs and multilateral development organisations gather at AfricaSan, Africa's conference on sanitation and hygiene. The conference takes place in Durban, South Africa, from 18-20 February. 

AfricaSan aims to promote sanitation and hygiene improvement programmes in Africa and assist key African stakeholders to accelerate achievement of the UN's Millennium Development Goal (MDG) and national targets for sanitation. At present, sanitation is the most off-track target, and lack of progress in this key area is holding up progress across all MDGs: health, education, gender equality, maternal health improvements, child mortality, and combating disease and hunger.

Oliver Cumming, WaterAid's Sanitation Policy Officer, explained, "The global sanitation crisis is driven by political neglect; the sector is plagued by a lack of political priority compared to other sectors such as health and education, compounded by a chronic lack of funding. Leadership and accountability are urgently needed in order to deliver much needed sanitation to people living in poverty. At WaterAid we have produced this paper to chart what progress has been made and what is still needed by African governments in order that the Millennium Development Goals can be achieved."

It is clear that without an extraordinary effort the MDG target for sanitation will be missed. In sub-Saharan Africa, at current rates of progress, it will not be met until 2076 - 61 years late.

The paper draws on research conducted in 12 countries, with the view that robust policy frameworks, institutional strength, coherence and coordinated action are essential foundations for progress across the whole continent. Download the full report: Giving sanitation the green light ( PDF 250Kb)